IPN question

OSoStressed · May 12, 2008

When I was in Ipn as soon as I finished IOP i was given the okay to start work and in my case find a job. That is when they gave me the list of nurse support groups to attend you pick just one and go there every week for the 5 years you are in IPN. After care started after IOP and it was a year long once a week. You are required to attend 3 meetings a week while you are in IPN and expected to get a sponsor. Quarterly you have papers that your Support group facilitator, employer and any councelor you see fill out if you see one. Some groups require you to have a meeting sheet signed for a year but IPN stopped requiring it a few years ago. You call a number every day and see if your color comes up to drug test, it helps to call the same time every day so you dont forget but they only test monday thru friday. I lived in the Tampa Bay area as well but I have been out of IPN since 2006 so it may have changed since I left. Good luck and if you go with the flow and do what is expected you will do fine. It can be overwealming at first but it gets easier as you go along. It becomes a way of life and you make some good friends along the way.

Take care and good luck...

OSoStressed · May 12, 2008

One more thing...

Your nurse support group can be your biggest ally and is where you really find out what is expected of you. Everyone there is in the same situation and in my case helped me heal the most. I went in there crying and left smiling and proud. But when I got out I didnt work the program and I relapsed so file that where you will and again good luck.

:nurse:

toph34 · Jan 12, 2009

Sorry to bring up old post but how long was your IOP?

OSoStressed · Jan 13, 2009

Well it was in 2001 so my memory could be wrong but I think it was 13 weeks 4 days a week then it went down to once a week for a year. Hope im right.

Magsulfate, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2009

Wow, I have been there. Just like a previous poster said, as long as you stick with it and follow ALL of the rules, it will get easier. The time will pass whether you are in IPN or not.. and wouldn't you much rather be clean and sober AND nurse than drunk/high and NOT a nurse? I think you would chose the first.

It is a long hard road, it will not be easy. But you can have a better life by being clean, a happier life. Just make sure you do everything they tell you to. Get up everyday and take a shower, get dressed, put on your makeup and do something. Never ever just lay in the bed and feel sorry for yourself. That's the worst thing you could do.

Good luck! you can do it!!

NMSSDA · Apr 7, 2009

I'm curious how exactly can IPN (florida) verify or track your license to verify work/that you're working where you say you are? I am new to IPN for about 5 months and having a terrible time finding a job, been turned down for 20 jobs, but i recently got hired for a Drs office who is aware of IPN status & is willing to fill out all performance & eval forms, & will suggest the lift of my narc restriction after the 6 months has passed...YET the job is very minimal and wont provide enough hours to pay the bills. Hypothetically how will IPN find out if i am working in another job? does anyone know if they have access to Dept Of Labor information or if they do a search to see what facilities have hired new, do they have ways to search where your license is being used? As far as I have been able to investigate the contract initiated with IPN for a non-BON member is soley an "on your honor" system, meaning if I dont report to them that i'm holding more than one job then i'm not sure how they can find out. I am desperate and trying to protect my home from foreclosure and have been offered another position in a nursing research facility and at other hospitals and want to take one of the jobs without disclosing IPN status so that I can actually get a job offer, yet i'm worried about how it may/can get back to IPN. if anyone has any insight i need the help as desperate measures may have to be taken. If i continue my random urines and all seems to be in compliance with the program i can be done in one year. i was only reported for declining to take a random urine screen at my last job from which i resigned unrelated to this, never had pos tests, never a drug issue but still stuck in this program to protect my license from being reported to BON....any help? can email , thanks

OSoStressed · Apr 7, 2009

It is my understanding you can have a second job outside of nursing as long as your not using your license. If you got a second job in nursing you wouldnt be in compliance and you would be lying about being in Ipn because they have to moniter you. I would not recommend it at all if you value your license. I would find a second non nursing license job until you can get a better paying nursing job.

jackstem · Apr 7, 2009

This is from the FLA IPN Participant's Manual:

EMPLOYMENT

1. The general IPN requirements for employment are:

a. Approval from IPN for you to return/enter nursing or

CNA practice is required before you accept a new

position or return to previous employment. If you need

clarification or have questions related to appropriate

employment, please contact your IPN Case Manager.

b. You are to inform your prospective immediate supervisor

of your IPN participation prior to accepting any position

and refer the employer to your IPN Case Manager to

verify your participation and any work-related

restrictions. You are required to provide your employer

with a copy of your IPN Advocacy Contract.

c. Your nursing or CNA position must include direct

supervision by another licensed healthcare professional

(LPN cannot supervise RN) who is:

1) aware of your IPN participation

2) working on the premises or same unit

3) readily available to provide assistance

-16-

d. You must submit in writing to the IPN the name, address,

and phone number of the current place of employment

and the name of your immediate supervisor. You must

inform IPN of any changes in employment immediately

by phone and in writing within 14 days.

2. Generally, upon return to nursing or CNA practice:

a. You may not be self-employed in the healthcare field or

work for multiple employers.

b. You may not work more than forty (40) hours per week

and/or more than 84 hours bi-weekly, if working 12-hour

shifts.

c. You may not work for a staffing agency, in chemical

dependency, home hospice, home health or float

outside areas supervised by your manager.

3. IPN participants may not work in a nursing or direct patient

care position until approved to do so by IPN. Failure to adhere

to this requirement may result in dismissal from IPN and a

report will be made to DOH/FBON.

4. IPN receives recommendations based on the IPN "Return To

Work" criteria used by treatment providers when assessing the

return to work/ability to practice issue with IPN participants.

These areas for assessment are:

a. Stability in Recovery

b. Support Systems

c. Problem-solving ability

d. Cognitive functioning

e. Judgment intact

f. Ability to psychologically cope with stressful

situations

g. Decision-making ability in a crisis.

IPN will consider treatment recommendations when determining if the

nurse or CNA may resume practice.

FLSmitty · Apr 7, 2009

NMSSDA email me

Magsulfate, BSN, RN · Apr 7, 2009

I'm curious how exactly can IPN (florida) verify or track your license to verify work/that you're working where you say you are? I am new to IPN for about 5 months and having a terrible time finding a job, been turned down for 20 jobs, but i recently got hired for a Drs office who is aware of IPN status & is willing to fill out all performance & eval forms, & will suggest the lift of my narc restriction after the 6 months has passed...YET the job is very minimal and wont provide enough hours to pay the bills. Hypothetically how will IPN find out if i am working in another job? does anyone know if they have access to Dept Of Labor information or if they do a search to see what facilities have hired new, do they have ways to search where your license is being used? As far as I have been able to investigate the contract initiated with IPN for a non-BON member is soley an "on your honor" system, meaning if I dont report to them that i'm holding more than one job then i'm not sure how they can find out. I am desperate and trying to protect my home from foreclosure and have been offered another position in a nursing research facility and at other hospitals and want to take one of the jobs without disclosing IPN status so that I can actually get a job offer, yet i'm worried about how it may/can get back to IPN. if anyone has any insight i need the help as desperate measures may have to be taken. If i continue my random urines and all seems to be in compliance with the program i can be done in one year. i was only reported for declining to take a random urine screen at my last job from which i resigned unrelated to this, never had pos tests, never a drug issue but still stuck in this program to protect my license from being reported to BON....any help? can email , thanks

Think about it long and hard before you do anything that would risk your license. You're not the first person, and you're not the last to come up with this idea. I am not sure how they monitor your employment, but I am sure if they find out you're working outside of your contract that you will fail the program and most likely lose your nursing license. Is it worth that? For me it wasn't. You have to decide that yourself.

jackstem · Apr 10, 2009

In Ohio, anytime a nurse is hired, the employer will contact the board to verify the nurse has active, unrestricted license. As you can imagine, the "defecation would hit the ventilation" if they discovered your restricted license! One of the things that is significantly altered as a result of addiction is the frontal lobes and their interaction with other parts of the brain. The frontal lobes happen to be the area responsible for decision making. In early recovery (approximately the first 18 - 24 months of abstinence) you're still not thinking straight and some decisions will seem to be really great. In hindsight, you'll wonder how in the world could you have even considered doing some of the things you did or almost did. Deciding to work while in IPN without telling your employer of your status? Not a good decision.

Jack